scholarly journals Effect of in vitro DNA methylation on beta-globin gene expression.

1988 ◽  
Vol 85 (13) ◽  
pp. 4638-4642 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Yisraeli ◽  
D. Frank ◽  
A. Razin ◽  
H. Cedar
1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4690-4697 ◽  
Author(s):  
J G Glauber ◽  
N J Wandersee ◽  
J A Little ◽  
G D Ginder

A stable transfection assay was used to test the mechanism by which embryonic globin gene transcription is stimulated in adult erythroid cells exposed to butyric acid and its analogs. To test the appropriate expression and inducibility of chicken globin genes in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells, an adult chicken beta-globin gene construct was stably transfected. The chicken beta-globin gene was found to be coregulated with the endogenous adult mouse alpha-globin gene following induction of erythroid differentiation of the transfected MEL cells by incubation with either 2% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or 1 mM sodium butyrate (NaB). In contrast, a stably transfected embryonic chicken beta-type globin gene, rho, was downregulated during DMSO-induced MEL cell differentiation. However, incubation with NaB, which induces MEL cell differentiation, or alpha-amino butyrate, which does not induce differentiation of MEL cells, resulted in markedly increased levels of transcription from the stably transfected rho gene. Analysis of histone modification showed that induction of rho gene expression was not correlated with increased bulk histone acetylation. A region of 5'-flanking sequence extending from -569 to -725 bp upstream of the rho gene cap site was found to be required for both downregulation of rho gene expression during DMSO-induced differentiation and upregulation by treatment with NaB or alpha-amino butyrate. These data are support for a novel mechanism by which butyrate compounds can alter cellular gene expression through specific DNA sequences. The results reported here are also evidence that 5'-flanking sequences are involved in the suppression of embryonic globin gene expression in terminally differentiated adult erythroid cells.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 1604-1611 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZH Lu ◽  
MH Steinberg

Very different fetal hemoglobin levels among adult sickle cell anemia patients suggest genetic modulation of gamma-globin gene expression. In sickle cell anemia, different fetal hemoglobin levels are associated with distinct beta-globin gene haplotypes. Haplotype may be a marker for linked DNA that modulates gamma-globin gene expression. From 295 individuals with sickle cell anemia, we chose for detailed studies 53 patients who had the highest or the lowest fetal hemoglobin levels and 7 patients whose fetal hemoglobin levels were atypical of their haplotype. In these individuals, we examined portions of the beta- globin gene locus control region hypersensitive sites two and three, an (AT)x(T)y repeat 5′ to the beta-globin gene, a 4-bp deletion 5 to the A gamma T gene, promoters of both gamma-globin genes, 5′ flanking region of the G gamma-globin gene, and A gamma-globin gene IVS-II. Of the regions we studied all polymorphisms were always haplotype-linked and no additional mutations were present. This suggested that variations in these areas are uncommon mechanisms of fetal hemoglobin modulation in sickle cell anemia. Whereas unexamined cis-acting sequences may regulate gamma-globin gene transcription, trans-acting factors may play a more important role.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3641-3641
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Perkins ◽  
Peter Papathanasiou ◽  
Christopher C. Goodnow ◽  
Janelle R. Keys

Abstract The zinc finger transcription factor Ikaros is recognized as a key regulator of lymphocyte differentiation. Recently generated dominant negative mutants have hinted at a broader role in haematopoietic stem cell generation. Most recently, a mouse strain, IkarosPlastic, with a point mutation in Ikaros that disrupts DNA binding but preserves efficient assembly of Ikaros protein complexes, is embryonically lethal due to severe defects in erythrocyte differentiation (Papathanasiou P, et al,. Immunity, 2003). (1). These mice display normal murine globin gene expression in the fetal liver. However in humans the globin locus is under alternative regulatory control, particularly with respect to the fetal-to-adult globin switch. Thus, to determine if Ikaros plays a role in human globin switching we crossed the IkarosPlastic mice with mice transgenic for a YAC containing the entire human b-globin locus, which show human fetal to adult globin gene switching from E12 to E17. Embryos were harvested from E12.5 to E15.5 and globin expression was determined in the fetal liver by real-time PCR (relative to actin). At all time points human gamma-globin gene expression was not significantly altered by the presence of the IkarosPlastic mutatation (relative expression Ikaroswt/wt 1±0.11, IkarosPlastic/Plastic 0.82±0.12). In contrast, human beta-globin gene expression was significantly down-regulated in IkarosPlastic fetal livers (relative expression Ikaroswt/wt 1±0.14, IkarosPlastic/Plastic 0.18±0.07). Interestingly, neither murine a- or b-globin gene expression was significantly different to wild type mice, which suggests that the transcription factor Ikaros plays a specific role in the transcriptional activation of the human b-globin gene during development. The mechanism by which this occurs remains to be elucidated, however it is intriguing to consider that Ikaros may act as a potentiator of transcription for erythroid specific transcription factors such as EKLF. Experiments to address this will be presented.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4690-4697
Author(s):  
J G Glauber ◽  
N J Wandersee ◽  
J A Little ◽  
G D Ginder

A stable transfection assay was used to test the mechanism by which embryonic globin gene transcription is stimulated in adult erythroid cells exposed to butyric acid and its analogs. To test the appropriate expression and inducibility of chicken globin genes in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells, an adult chicken beta-globin gene construct was stably transfected. The chicken beta-globin gene was found to be coregulated with the endogenous adult mouse alpha-globin gene following induction of erythroid differentiation of the transfected MEL cells by incubation with either 2% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or 1 mM sodium butyrate (NaB). In contrast, a stably transfected embryonic chicken beta-type globin gene, rho, was downregulated during DMSO-induced MEL cell differentiation. However, incubation with NaB, which induces MEL cell differentiation, or alpha-amino butyrate, which does not induce differentiation of MEL cells, resulted in markedly increased levels of transcription from the stably transfected rho gene. Analysis of histone modification showed that induction of rho gene expression was not correlated with increased bulk histone acetylation. A region of 5'-flanking sequence extending from -569 to -725 bp upstream of the rho gene cap site was found to be required for both downregulation of rho gene expression during DMSO-induced differentiation and upregulation by treatment with NaB or alpha-amino butyrate. These data are support for a novel mechanism by which butyrate compounds can alter cellular gene expression through specific DNA sequences. The results reported here are also evidence that 5'-flanking sequences are involved in the suppression of embryonic globin gene expression in terminally differentiated adult erythroid cells.


1998 ◽  
Vol 850 (1 COOLEY'S ANEM) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIMOTHY J. LEY ◽  
BRUCE HUG ◽  
STEVEN FIERING ◽  
ELLIOT EPNER ◽  
M. A. BENDER ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Giang Sargent ◽  
Arlene M. Buller ◽  
David T. Teachey ◽  
Kimberly S. Mccanna ◽  
Joyce A. Lloyd

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3626-3626
Author(s):  
Jeremy W. Rupon ◽  
ShouZhen Wang ◽  
Karin Gaensler ◽  
Joyce Lloyd ◽  
Gordon D. Ginder

Abstract The genes of the vertebrate beta-globin locus undergo a switch in expression during development whereby embryonic/fetal genes of the cluster are sequentially silenced and the adult genes are activated during erythroid development. DNA methylation has been shown to be associated with developmentally silenced globin genes, and compounds that inhibit cytosine methylation have been shown to activate transcription from developmentally silenced globin genes in several species, including humans. Previously, we have shown that the methyl domain binding protein 2 (MBD2) is involved in maintaining embryonic rho-globin gene silencing in adult avian erythroid cells. We describe here a role for MBD2 in the DNA methylation mediated silencing and maintenance of silencing of the human fetal gamma-globin gene in a transgenic mouse model. We confirmed the previously published report by Pace et al that the gamma-globin gene is reactivated, upon treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-azacytidine, of mice containing the entire beta-globin locus as a yeast artificial chromosome (BetaYAC) transgene. In order to elucidate the mechanism through which DNA methylation represses the gamma-globin gene in adult erythroid cells, betaYAC/MBD2−/− mice were generated by breeding BetaYAC mice with MBD2−/− mice. Anemic adult betaYAC/MBD2−/− mice continue to express the gamma-globin gene at a level commensurate with animals treated with 5-azacytidine, which is10–20 fold over those treated with 1-acetyl-2-phenylhydrazine alone, as measured by both quantitative PCR and by RNase protection assays. In addition, the level of gamma-globin gene expression is consistently several fold higher in MBD2−/− compared to wild type BetaYAC mice in 14.5 and 16.5 dpc fetal liver erythroblasts. Furthermore, transcriptional activation of the gamma-globin gene in adult erythroblasts is associated with a modest decrease in DNA methylation around the gamma-globin promoters and a ~4-fold enrichment of histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 4 (TriK4), as measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay using quantitative PCR. Finally, treatment of MBD2 null mice with 5-azacytidine induces only a small, non-additive induction of gamma-globin expression indicating that DNA methylation acts primarily through MBD2 to maintain gamma-globin suppression in adult erythroid cells. These results suggest that MBD2 is a potential target for therapeutic induction of gamma-globin gene expression in the settings of sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia.


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